


And What's More, I Adore You

by haemies



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Developing Relationship, First Dates, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, Lots of kissing, M/M, Mentioned Ong Seongwoo, Mentions of underage drinking, One Shot, Romantic Fluff, overuse of the word hyung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23178121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haemies/pseuds/haemies
Summary: Mark was glad things had gone the way they did and if he had the chance he wouldn’t change any of it, he was glad Donghyuck had been the one to take so many of his firsts but he was even happier to know he had been the first to have loved Donghyuck the way he did, knowing Donghyuck loved him back the same.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 18
Kudos: 172





	And What's More, I Adore You

The first time Mark saw Donghyuck cry was on a warm afternoon, the late winter sun beaming down at him as if trying to cheer him up but Donghyuck could only hide his face in his legs as he wrapped his arms around them.

Mark wasn’t sure what to do. He was never really one who knew what he should say or when to talk and his aversion to physical intimacy meant he wasn’t great at catching Donghyuck’s unspoken pleas for someone to hug him at that moment — so he could hide his shame and drown in the comfort of an embrace.

But Mark really didn’t know what to do, it was the first time he had seen Donghyuck do anything other than smile and joke around. Donghyuck was always the one who was bright and confident in himself — after all, he was the one who walked up to his senior and flat out asked for the last carton of milk (which he later ended up getting, along with Mark’s number and a promise of becoming friends who shared their breakfasts with one another) he was just that fearless and upbeat.

The only thing Mark could do was just stand at Donghyuck’s right side, trying to shield him from the growing crowd of students that were starting to pour out onto the school grounds after the last bell of the day sounded through the speakers overseeing them.

“Hy-yung,” At that moment, sixteen-year-old Donghyuck looked more like a baby to Mark with his tear-stained eyes, cheeks brushed red and hiccups breaking his voice.

“What?” Mark tried to keep himself from speaking too loud, as to not attract any unwanted attention but he guessed it would be hard for Donghyuck to hear, since his cries soon grew into sobs.

“Are you ju-just gonna sta-stand th-there?”

Mark shifted in his position, eyes wandering down at Donghyuck who looked at him through messy strands of dark brown hair and the stained sleeve of his winter school uniform. “What do you want me to do? Do you want me to go and beat the guy up? You know I can’t fight.”

Donghyuck only cried harder and pressed his forehead back down onto his knees.

“Hyung,” It was hard to make out the words when Donghyuck sounded so breathless. “I ju-just need a hu-hug ri-right now.”

Mark’s guard fell down the same as his gaze when he looked at Donghyuck again. Reading the situation might not have been his strongest suit but he was a good listener — he would guess that came from his inability to come up with comforting words for others. Mark slid down the wall he was leaning against, settling just centimetres away from Donghyuck.

He pushed his discomfort aside and extended his arm over Donghyuck’s shoulder, bringing him closer and soon Mark felt cold against his chest — his white dress shirt becoming see-through with Donghyuck’s tears.

“I ca-can’t believe I got re-rejected in front of the who-whole school.”

“There were only a few dozen people actually.” Mark thought it would be comforting but he was never really the best at saying what people wanted to hear, his cheeks tinted the same shade of pink as Donghyuck and his cries got louder again. “Sorry.” Mark mumbled.

“Thi-is is so emba-embarrassing.”

Since he never really knew what to say, he didn’t say anything. Instead, Mark just sat by Donghyuck’s right side, using his right shoulder to keep Donghyuck’s trembling figure from everyone else's view and pulling him closer into his chest — he could always ask his mother to wash his shirt when he got home that night and it was probably warm enough to wear the short-sleeved summer uniform anyway.

ღ ღ ღ ღ

Mark was surprised when he found Donghyuck out clubbing in the summer of his nineteenth birthday, he almost choked on the drink he was swallowing because he knew Donghyuck was definitely not supposed to be there.

He walked through the crowds of people, wincing and grimacing when he felt hot liquid dirtying his clothes and leaving an awful and easy to recognize stench of alcohol — he could only hope it would fade away before the early hours of the morning when his parents walked into his room.

“What are you doing here?” Mark screamed as he reached Donghyuck, the music blaring around them.

Donghyuck only noticed somebody had spoken to him when Mark grabbed the hem of his shirt and gave a small tug.

“Hyung!” Donghyuck sounded happy and very loud.

“You can’t be here,” Mark was pulling him aside to where the tables were located and the stereos were few. “How did you get in?”

Donghyuck laughed and raised a cup in front of his face, Mark’s hands stopped him before the glass could touch his lips.

“Hey! I was drinking that”

“You can’t drink, you’re not of age yet.” Mark tried not to falter when Donghyuck glared at him, at the end of the day, he was the still the older of the two. “How did you get in?”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes and angrily reached inside his pockets. It’s moments like this, Mark thought, he looks more like a baby than an eighteen-year-old and it would probably be endearing if Donghyuck wasn’t swearing under his breath.

“I had this made,” Donghyuck handed him a card and Mark’s eyes were almost as wide as the ones in the picture staring back at him. “It’s my first time using a fake ID and being at a club and hyung, I’m sorry but you are kinda ruining it.”

Mark stuffs the card inside his back pocket and grabs Donghyuck’s hand. He tries not to feel it but after a few seconds, Donghyuck’s slaps against his skin start to sting.

“You crazy jerk! Let me go!” Donghyuck was prying at his hand, trying to free himself — not that Mark really understood why he was trying so hard, he was barely even holding his hand in the first place.

“Donghyuck, do you know what could happen if you get caught with this?” Mark stood in front of Donghyuck, the music from the party was still audible, even from outside. “This is a crime Donghyuck, you could be jailed.”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes, “I paid for it.”

“Yeah, and you could pay up to five million won if you get caught with it.” Mark didn’t have to try so hard to sound stern now. “Do you have five million won?”

It was like a sudden wave of realization hit Donghyuck, his bravado instantly quieted down upon hearing those words.

“No.” Donghyuck mumbled.

“That’s what I thought. I’m keeping this.”

Mark didn’t need Donghyuck to put it into words, he could tell in the way he busied himself with the small rocks on the ground and kept whispering under his breath that he was thankful it was him who had found him that night.

“I’m sorry for dragging you out like that.” He spoke softly into the air. The streets of Itaewon had never been peaceful during the night-time — especially during the warm months of summer but right at that moment, Mark didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s okay.” Donghyuck whispered from beside him. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

Mark nodded, accepting his apology. Both of them kept quiet after that and continued to walk down street after street, watching the neon lights flashing and listening to loud conversations of strangers. With the night ending the way it did, after he dropped Donghyuck at his place and made him promise to never try to pull something like that again — he only had to wait one more year to be legally allowed to do all of the things he risked getting arrested for tonight, Mark hadn't ruined his first night out at all.

ღ ღ ღ ღ

“You’ve never kissed anyone?!” Donghyuck was screaming at the top of his lungs.

Mark’s face flushed the deepest of reds and he had never felt his skin quite that warm before. He should’ve known better than to admit such a stupid truth for such a stupid game when Donghyuck, out of all people, was there but he forgot with all the things he had to worry about for his get-together to work out.

Donghyuck had only now gotten into college and Mark didn’t know whether he should cry or laugh when he told him they would be attending the same university. They had spent years going to the same school, only having one gap year to go their separate ways and find new people to surround themselves with.

He knew Donghyuck had been just fine, making multiple new friends in just the first days of his senior year at high school but now, at university, it seemed like he had some trouble befriending the people in his class.

“Communications majors are so snobby.” Donghyuck would say while throwing dirty looks at the people who were, very non-chantingly, just eating and talking amongst themselves.

“Donghyuck, you’re a communications major.” Mark would remind him and leave his last piece of meat on Donghyuck’s bowl.

“Exactly.” Donghyuck would sulk and just bitterly chew his food, most of the time not even realizing he had started eating less and less in attempts to cheer him up with his favourite meals. Even at nineteen, bottom lip pouting, Donghyuck reminded Mark of a baby.

It only took about another two months of Donghyuck’s constant mopping around for Mark to decide to introduce him to the friends he had made at college himself and it took even less time for them to completely accept and make him feel like he had always been a part of the group. Some of them had even gotten closer to him than they were with Mark, but it was okay. Mark didn’t mind as long as Donghyuck no longer felt left out.

But he would be lying if he said he didn’t regret it sometimes — like right now, with Donghyuck’s eyes starting to water from how hard he was laughing at Mark’s response and the rest of their friends not knowing how to react.

“Hyung, you’re twenty years old!” Donghyuck’s cheeks were pink.

“Yah, it’s not a law to have kissed someone by twenty.” He could hear Johnny in the background, swatting Donghyuck on the head lightly. “Stop teasing him.”

Mark didn’t understand why it was so funny to him, he bit at his bottom lip hoping not to coil in embarrassment. Donghyuck clutched his stomach, trying hard to calm down as he made his way to sit on the empty space next to him.

The circle soon went back to their game, with other stupid questions being asked and different people getting embarrassed for stupid (though not as ridiculous as his) confessions. Mark was glad all of them seemed to have forgotten what happened as fast as they did but he decided it would be best not to join in again and end up being the target of another of one Donghyuck’s taunts.

“You’re so cute, hyung.” Donghyuck laughed as the others screamed at Yuta's response that he wasn’t able to hear.

“What?”

“You’re adorable.” Donghyuck was looking directly at him when he turned around. Mark would never understand how he was able to forget just how blunt he could be sometimes and even after knowing one another for four years, Donghyuck was still able to perplex him.

Mark didn’t know how he should answer so he just moved his attention back to the middle of the room — where their friends were now going after Jaehyun, and hoped Donghyuck didn’t see the blush that was creeping into his cheeks, he had endured enough teasing for one night.

It was close to midnight when the last of them left and even though Mark was tired, he knew it would be best to try and tidy his room as much as he could, he was sure he would be even less thrilled to do it tomorrow — it was a bit depressing, he was already at the point in his life when his only days off were the weekend.

“Hyung,”

Mark almost physically jumped at the unexpected voice, his heart skipping a beat in the seconds after. He turned around to find Donghyuck closing his door and biting away a smile. Mark dropped the can he was holding to touch his chest instead, now that he knew he wasn’t going to get brutally murdered, his heart could calm down.

Donghyuck chuckled, leaning against the door. “Sorry.”

“Did you forget something?” Mark went back to picking the cans and plastic bags from the floor, making a mental note to remember and recycle everything the next day. When Donghyuck didn’t make any sound, Mark turned around to see him watching him silently, his eyes following Mark’s every move. “Stop being creepy.”

“I’m not being creepy.”

“Yes, you are.” Mark left the trash bag under his desk and went to grab the pillows the others used as seats.

“No, I’m not.” Donghyuck retorted.

“Yes, you are.”

Donghyuck walked over to him, eyes unmoving from his silhouette. Mark’s heart was pounding against his chest, he was sure everyone in the building could hear.

“I can do it, hyung.” Donghyuck whispered, eyes soft under his lashes.

“Do what?” Mark was doing everything in his power not to waver, he had never been that close to Donghyuck before — or anyone for that matter.

“Be your first kiss.”

Mark’s heart didn’t seem to have understood when he told it that it could calm down since they were no longer in mortal danger, but it was only now hitting him that his heart was trying to warn him that danger hadn’t fleeted at all. If Donghyuck kept saying such things without as much as a warning, Mark was probably going to die.

“What do you say, hyung?” Mark couldn’t say anything. He felt the warm breath against his face and his nose was filled with the bitter scent of the few swings of beer Donghyuck had stolen from Taeil mixed with the floral of his perfume. “Can I kiss you?”

He had never seen that look in Donghyuck’s eyes before. It was deep and sultry, like that of velvet. At that moment, Mark thought for the first time ever since they met, Donghyuck did not look like a baby he needed to protect.

He swallowed hard, afraid of what was to come but brimming with anticipation. “Yes.”

Donghyuck’s lips upturned before they crashed into his and since Mark wasn’t sure what to do, he just followed Donghyuck’s lead for the first time in the four years they had known one another.

He could taste the saltiness of the snacks Donghyuck had not long before and the sweetness of soda but it was okay. The feeling of Donghyuck’s tongue brushing against his lips and then over his own was enough to make him forget much of everything else.

Mark had no idea where Donghyuck had learned to be so persuasive, the hand grasping the nape of his neck — fingers dancing through the strands of loose hair, the soft sounds playing in his ears and the nipping on his bottom lip, Mark had to pull back or he was sure he would catch on fire.

His chest was heavy, the lid of his eyes as well. He wanted nothing more than be able to stop time, with Donghyuck letting a small smile play on his lips and his hand closing in his hair.

Mark didn’t know if what he had done had felt anything pleasurable to Donghyuck at all, he could only try and kiss back with the same ardour Donghyuck was showing him. Mark guessed he had done something right when Donghyuck didn’t waste another second before closing the small space between them for a second time.

ღ ღ ღ ღ

Mark's eyebrows furrowed in unison. The girl in front of him was beautiful, truly — her face small with eyes the colour of autumn and lips of a porcelain doll, her body lean and tall.

“So? Will you go?” Donghyuck asked excitedly from the other side of the table.

“I don’t know.” Mark swallowed his food, along with his unspoken uncertainties. “She doesn’t seem like my type.”

Donghyuck scoffed. “Your type? Hyung, you don’t have a type.”

“Yes, I do.”

It was true. Mark had never really stopped to think about his type or if he even had a type to begin with. The people he had crushes on through his schools years had all been so different from each other that he couldn’t pinpoint one thing they all had in common if someone asked, which Donghyuck did.

“Oh yeah? So tell me, what’s your type?”

He should have known Donghyuck would have asked but these past few days, Donghyuck seemed to be keeping count of how many times he could bewilder Mark.

“I don’t know.” Mark mumbled through his teeth, chopsticks touching but not grabbing any piece of food. “Someone who I can take care of but also depend on, who understands without me needing to express much, someone who knows when I need space and when I need closure? I don’t know.”

Donghyuck chuckled, locking the phone in his hand — screen going dark.

“So, me?”

“What?”

“Me, hyung. That sounds like me.” Donghyuck leaned over the table, hands under his chin.

Mark needed a second to compose himself, the look in Donghyuck’s eye is the same as the one from that night. They hadn’t spoken about it since, well Donghyuck hadn’t and he wasn't going to be the first to bring it up.

“Am I your ideal type, hyung?”

Mark dropped his chopsticks on the table, “Donghyuck-ah, I think it’s time you stop teasing me.”

“But I'm not teasing you. I want to know.” Mark had never seen Donghyuck look so serious before “So I’ll ask again, am I your ideal type?”

“Why do you care?” Mark was fumbling around with his backpack, ready to run from the situation.

“Because, hyung.” Donghyuck paused. “I’m trying to ask you on a date.”

Mark’s hands stopped and the laces he was tying fall from his fingers, he looked at Donghyuck — his eyes hoping and sparkling.

“You’re what?” Mark managed to breathe out, but only barely.

“I'm asking you on a date. Or were you planning on finally asking me? If that’s the case, I take it back.”

He could only watch as Donghyuck’s smile grew upon the colour reaching his cheeks. Mark hated how easy to read he could be.

“I knew you wouldn’t, so I'm doing it instead. I don’t want to wait forever for your first date, hyung.”

Mark didn’t want to wait forever either, as a matter of fact, he didn’t even want to wait another minute. He really had no clue where Donghyuck had learned to be that persuasive, with his fingers drawing circles on his palm and his laugh echoing in his ears, Mark had no idea but he was more than just thankful he learned.

He felt his insides melting away when their eyes locked. “Yes, I'll go on a date with you.”

ღ ღ ღ ღ

The only thing Mark could see was the way Donghyuck’s face was lit up by the blue hues of the cinema screen. Colours dancing around as the scenes went by and Donghyuck looked beautiful when painted by rainbows.

“Hyung, you’re missing the entire movie.” Donghyuck whispered, looking upfront.

Mark took a big sip of the Cola they were sharing. “Sorry.”

“You really are adorable.” Donghyuck chuckled and slipped his hand in between Mark's. He hated how nervous he got around Donghyuck these days — it was only some months ago that he was looking after him, now it seemed Donghyuck was promising to be there for all of his firsts and it was nerve-racking to Mark. His hands would always tremble and grow sweaty but Donghyuck didn’t seem to care. He just held on, tighter and tighter.

People stared at them at the restaurant but Mark was so focused on how the city outside contrasted Donghyuck’s light blue shirt that he barely even noticed the few whispers. As long as Donghyuck kept that smile, nobody or anything else mattered.

“Should we share a meal, hyung?” Donghyuck’s eyes roamed the menu time and time again. “This restaurant is a bit expensive.”

“We can do whatever you want.”

Donghyuck paused to look at him. The way the glitter sparkled against the thin skin of his eye seemed like a work of art to Mark. The shimmering danced around, reflecting on his face when Donghyuck raised his eyebrow. “What?”

“I mean yes. We can share.”

The rest the dinner went by so fast, Mark didn’t know where hours had gone. Maybe he had spent too much time paying attention to Donghyuck’s tongue run against his lip and the crinkle that appeared when he tried not to laugh as loudly as he normally did. Mark wanted time to freeze.

At least he could still convince Donghyuck to let him drop him off and now, in front of the door to his house, Donghyuck looked like the same boy Mark used to do his best to comfort — fingers playing with one other and face down, it was enough to make his heart cry out for a moment’s break.

“So,” Donghyuck spoke under his breath. “How was your first date?”

“It was good.”

“Just good?”

“It was great.” Mark answered, walking a bit closer but still moments apart.

“That’s good.”

There were a few seconds of silence with only the cars of people in the neighbourhood roaring and a few lost dog barks here and there.

“I'll guess I'll go in now.” Donghyuck pointed over his shoulder. “Goodnight, hyung.”

Mark couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He had spent the whole night wondering how the peach in Donghyuck’s lips would taste and if his third kiss would have felt any different, he grabbed Donghyuck’s jaw and closed the space between them.

It did feel different, his third kiss. This one set him aflame even faster than the first two, and he had to fight with all of his might the urge he felt to push Donghyuck against the metal door behind him.

Mark had no idea if slipping his tongue as soon as his lips came into contact with Donghyuck’s was moving too fast or not and he didn’t know if his hand on Donghyuck’s neck was hurting him from how close he was trying to get but he was less worried and his passion tenfold when he swallowed the small sound Donghyuck failed to hold back.

“I have to go in now.” Donghyuck’s voice cracked as he took laboured breaths. “Goodnight, Lee Minhyung.” He planted a peck on the corner of Mark's mouth and with one last smile through heavy eyes, he turned around.

Mark was sure to remember that night. When Donghyuck became the first person he shared a date with, his first passionate kiss. The night Donghyuck called him by his name and became the last person he thought of before falling asleep.

ღ ღ ღ ღ

“Do you like it, hyung?” Donghyuck muttered, voice heavy and sweet.

Mark had no clue what he should do or even say. The thoughts that had been bundled up in his mind had grown scarce as Donghyuck’s kisses on the crook of his neck were light — lips brushing his skin with love, Mark felt under the weight of a thousand boulders.

“Do you want me to go on?”

The thin sheets that covered the lower half of his body had started to not be warm enough for the cold rising in the month of September — the leaves had started falling off branches and the outside looked like paintings grazed with browns and hazel but at that moment, Mark’s skin was hot to the touch, the cold he felt the night before long forgotten.

Donghyuck’s hands caressed the outline of his collarbones, fingertips drawing figures of eight across his chest, torching the pit of his stomach and Mark could do little other than nod.

Donghyuck stops for no longer than a few seconds, hooded eyes grazing every inch of Mark’s face as he leaned closer and closer, from that short of a distance between them, Mark could see all the small imperfections that made him love looking at Donghyuck even more — the cracks of his skin, the small pimples he clawed at with words of discontent.

Mark felt his throat run dry, breath becoming engulfed by its death grip as Donghyuck placed modest kisses at his jaw, eyes set like stone to the crease Mark’s eyebrows had made. “Say it then.” Donghyuck spoke against his skin, hot breath unravelling Mark’s mind. “Say you want me to continue.”

It was pitiful just how badly Mark had to fight with himself to open his eyes, his body didn’t feel his anymore — seeming to have a mind of its own instead, consumed by the need to keep his eyes closed so he would be sure to feel Donghyuck’s hands running through every inch of his body. He wanted to see how Donghyuck looked at that moment, he wanted to remember his swollen lips and the look in his eye glistening like silk — Mark was sure Donghyuck had never looked that beautiful.

“Do it, Donghyuck.” When he swallowed, the dryness of his throat could be heard in the breaks of his voice. “Give me more.”

Donghyuck didn’t have to be asked twice, after kissing the corner of Mark’s mouth and taking the place of the teeth biting at his lips with his tongue, Mark couldn’t remember much else, his wits at an end — he was embarrassed just how quickly his mind had grown empty of thought and filled with longing.

Mark felt Donghyuck’s hand slipping down his chest, followed by a small trail of blazing wet kisses and in just a matter of minutes, Donghyuck introduced him to at least ten new sensations he had never felt before — even with his eyes shut with all the force he could muster, Mark could see stars and they formed the same constellation as the one Donghyuck had going from his cheek to his neck.

ღ ღ ღ ღ

When it was good, it was the best feeling Mark had ever felt in his life but when it was bad and Donghyuck refused to even look him in the eye, he didn’t know what to do.

It was different now than it was before, when they were just friends and he could get away with how awkward he became at the idea of holding somebody’s hand, maybe they should have talked about the small things that would change as their relationship grew into something bigger, something more intimate.

“Donghyuck-ah.” Mark grasped the hem of Donghyuck’s winter jacket, not knowing if he could even feel it through how padded it was. “You can’t stay mad at me forever.”

“Watch me.” Donghyuck replied brief and cold.

Mark knew it was better to let Donghyuck have at least a couple of minutes by himself to calm down — whenever they bickered before and Donghyuck stomped away, cursing and muttering arguments under his breath, that was what he would do.

He figured the only thing he could do was just give Donghyuck space, let him come to him the way he did all those years but things were different now that they were together and even after two hours of following a few steps behind Donghyuck’s trail at the shopping centre they were at, Donghyuck didn’t falter.

Soon Mark worked up the courage to fasten his pace and walk beside him, keeping the silence until Donghyuck decided to sit down at the food court so he could organize the gifts he had brought for Christmas.

“Please talk to me.” Mark was ashamed to admit but deep down, he was already going crazy Donghyuck was ignoring him for longer than usual.

“No.” Donghyuck didn’t look up from the items on the table, he busied himself with scratching off names and ideas from the torn crumpled paper in his hands.

“I’m sorry.”

Donghyuck still didn’t look up, Mark shut his eyes and swallowed a deep breath. He knew he was wrong and apologizing was the least he could do but it was hard — admitting his mistake and still getting ignored, though he would be lying he if said he didn’t deserve it.

“I’m just scared.” He admitted in a whisper and it seemed that was all Mark needed to do for Donghyuck to drop the pen from his hand and soften his gaze.

“You don’t think I’m scared too? This world is a crazy place, hyung.” Donghyuck was speaking low and sweet now. “I just want to hold my boyfriend’s hand.”

Mark’s lip was caught in his teeth again, he could never get used to the way the word sounded coming from Donghyuck’s heart-shaped lips — it left a ringing in his ear and a tight hold on his heart.

He let his body take over, hand sliding across the table and stopping In front of the pen Donghyuck had been using not long ago. Fingers interlacing and the cold from the winter air seemed to have nothing on the warmth Mark felt whenever he touched Donghyuck and saw how beautiful his eyes would be when they lit up with a sparkle.

“From now on, I won’t let go of your hand.”

The times when Donghyuck was left speechless were few and far between but Mark loved Donghyuck in moments like this — cheeks flushed and eyes closed, trying to fight off a smile and ultimately losing. Shy Donghyuck was a rare sight, but it was one of his favourites and even though he wasn’t ready to put it into words or let his voice say it out loud, the feeling brewing in his chest might have been unfamiliar at first, but he knew exactly just what it was.

ღ ღ ღ ღ

“Don’t worry, they’re going to love you.” Donghyuck spoke from his side and Mark’s head moved from staring out the bus window to the boy next to him.

Donghyuck was picking at the nails he hadn’t bitten off on the now almost over ride to his hometown and Mark knew what he had just said wasn’t for him — not that he wasn’t nervous, he had never imagined just a year into their relationship he would say yes without a second thought when Donghyuck asked if they should introduce one another to their families, his nerves were causing thunderstorms to roar in his head and his stomach was doing turn after turn, but hearing Donghyuck's soft voice as he sang quietly throughout most of the trip, head resting against his shoulder and hair tickling against his jaw had been enough to calm him down.

“Why are you so nervous? I’m the one meeting your family, not the other way around.” Mark slipped his hand between Donghyuck’s and brought them to his lap.

“Because I want them to like you.” Donghyuck’s answers were fast, like an arrow straight to Mark’s heart. It was starting to blossom outside — the cherry trees in shades of pink and orange, it was the first time he had someone to watch them with. “You’re the boy I lo-“ Donghyuck cut himself off and Mark didn’t say anything, both knowing not to mention the words left unspoken. “I think it’s only normal for me to be nervous since I don’t plan on breaking up with you any time soon.”

His thumb busied himself with the light red colour of Donghyuck’s skin — he had been playing with his hands for so long it had left a print behind. “So you plan on breaking up with me?” He joked.

“What? No!” Mark wasn’t sure how Donghyuck was able to whisper and scream simultaneously.

He chuckled, leaning down to leave a kiss on Donghyuck’s blushed cheek. Mark had grown more accustomed to showing affection in physical form, dating Donghyuck, he didn’t have much of a choice — nor did he want one. Even though it was hard at first, Mark couldn’t deny he loved when Donghyuck showered him with love, fingers running through his hair when he fell asleep on his lap and lazy wet kisses on his shoulder in the late nights and early mornings had become some of his favourite things, but he was thankful the people in the bus around them didn’t seem to be paying attention to them. He wanted to keep this moment between the two of them only.

“I’m joking.”

Donghyuck used his free hand to very lightly punch his arm before resting his head on his shoulder again. “Jerk.”

For the rest of the drive, they kept quiet. Mark simply held Donghyuck’s hand, tightening his grip every once in a while when Donghyuck’s singing stopped — he didn’t have to say anything but Mark knew he was still worrying and the least he could do was offer a bit of reassurance.

He’d need that same reassurance just a few hours later, when Donghyuck’s parents sat in front of him and his sister looked through her phone — searching for the picture of the moment they were just reminded of while his younger brothers were on each side laughing at how red Donghyuck had gotten.

“Ong Seongwoo, that was his name, right?” Donghyuck’s sister asked excitedly as she turned her phone around to show the picture of the guy Donghyuck had given a bouquet of flowers to moments before the first time Mark saw him cry.

“Yeah, that was him.” One of his brothers laughed. “I remember how much he panicked before confessing. I think I still have the video somewhere.”

Mark felt Donghyuck coiling beside him, he seemed to be quieter around his family — probably coming from the fact that at home, among the four of them, he was the oldest (and also the target of his younger siblings jokes. Mark noticed they were the only ones who could get away with it, not even he himself could, most of the time).

“Shut up.” Donghyuck mumbled, chopsticks soppily bringing food to the pout on his lips.

“Okay you three, enough already.” His mother’s voice was sweet and familiar, it reminded him of Donghyuck’s as did most of her features. “Donghyuck’s boyfriend is here, so stop talking about his past crushes.”

“It’s okay Miss Lee,” Mark swallowed his food and didn’t think before speaking “Seongwoo was my friend actually.”

He barely felt Donghyuck’s hand slap his arm, “Stop!”

Mark turned his face towards Donghyuck who looked ready to be swallowed by the Earth at any moment, he looked adorable when he cupped his hands around his face and begged his father to ground his siblings. Mark could feel the smile that grew on his lips and he didn’t bother with hiding because he loved Donghyuck like this, embarrassed out of his mind, surrounded by the most important people in his life and he was thankful Donghyuck had taken him to his house so he could share this moment.

“I was the only one wearing the summer uniform that February because you cried all over my clothes.”

“Oh my god, shut up!” Donghyuck was as red as the flowers he had given to Seongwoo five years before. “This is so embarrassing,” He was thrashing his legs, eyes shut. “Why are you all ganging up on me? I’m going to my room!”

At least with his siblings, Mark knew he had been successful, as soon as Donghyuck got up from the floor and stomped all the way to his room, all three of them had broken into loud laughs, happy to add the information Mark had just given to the list of jabs to use against their older brother. He was scared Donghyuck’s parents would be mad at him for getting in on the joke but his nerves died when he saw his mom was shaking her head, trying to calm down her three now close to crying children with a smile of her own.

“Third door on the left,” Donghyuck’s father laughed, noticing how Mark looked back a few seconds after hearing the door slam.

Mark thanked him and nodded after Donghyuck’s mother dismissed his offer to help clean the table, when he left the living room and made his way down the hall he could still hear the laughter of Donghyuck’s siblings as they continued talking about his sad crush on his old friend.

“Don’t you dare come in.” Donghyuck’s voice was muffled against the pillow.

He was already in the room when Donghyuck talked, closing the door and making his way to sit beside him on the bed.

“I’m sorry, Hyuckie.” Mark kissed the bare skin on Donghyuck’s nape where his shirt didn’t reach and let the top half of his body lay over him as his legs stayed to the side of the bed.

“Don’t Hyuckie me right now, I’m mad at you.”

Mark chuckled a soft okay before leaving another kiss to the back of his neck. Donghyuck’s hair smelled of roses and as he ran his fingers through it, Mark noted to himself that he should buy him a bouquet so Donghyuck could forget the embarrassing memory he had and replace it anew.

“Stop.” Donghyuck said after a few moments of silence and small kisses Mark kept planting on his back from time to time.

“What?”

“You’re making me want to kiss you.” Donghyuck whispered before wiggling underneath Mark, turning on his bed so he would be lying on his back.

He let his eyes study the boy in front of him, his brown eyes soft, lips wet from his tongue. he loved Donghyuck in this moment — when he allowed himself to be shy and didn’t try to hide away how much effect Mark really had on him.

When he looked back up from his lips, Donghyuck only nodded and he didn’t dare waste another minute. He leaned down, leaving a short peck before letting his tongue slip in Donghyuck’s mouth. It was short and sweet, just holding his cheek while Donghyuck wrapped his arms around Mark’s shoulders to pull him closer.

It felt more personal, to kiss Donghyuck in his childhood room, where just outside the closed door his family was lost in conversation and he cursed himself he had lost count of what number that kiss would have been — they had already shared so many, it had grown hard to keep count, but that one, Mark really wanted to remember.

“I’m glad you got on with them.” Donghyuck whispered into his hair as Mark rested his head against his shoulder, even from there, he could hear Donghyuck’s heart thumping. “Even if it was at my expense.”

Mark laughed and pressed his lips against Donghyuck’s skin once again, this time on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’re going to be even worse with my brother.”

ღ ღ ღ ღ

The week before their exams started, Mark could barely sleep at all, meanwhile, Donghyuck didn’t seem to be having any trouble at all — small snores sounded through the room and Mark decided he could just use that time to read back over his notes.

His eyes were tired, even with the glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, it was almost three in the morning by that time and the light emitting from the screen of his computer didn’t help push the sleepiness away.

He kept busy for almost an hour before the heat got too much and he had to turn on the small desktop fan he had on top of his books. June had come quickly that year — something Donghyuck was thrilled for since they (along with their friends) had agreed to go to the amusement park that had just opened for his birthday. Mark hated amusement parks, since most of the rides left him feeling sick and brimming with that bad kind of adrenaline but he knew Donghyuck loved them, so he was more than happy to say yes — they could always share cotton candy and win teddy bears for one another.

“Hyung?” He heard Donghyuck’s small sleepy voice.

“Sorry, did I wake you up?”

“The noise of the fan did but it’s okay.” Donghyuck sat on his bed, eyes half-open from the light of Mark’s computer.

Mark closed his laptop after seeing it was closer to approaching four in the morning. He walked back to his bed, handing Donghyuck a mug that was filled with water.

“Thank you.” He swallowed in small sips and gave it back when he was done. “Were you not able to fall asleep again?”

He nodded, getting under the thin covers Donghyuck was wrapped around. “Yeah, it’s gotten worse now, with the exams approaching.”

“Come here.”

Mark laid down, head resting on Donghyuck’s shoulder. There weren’t many occasions Mark felt the need to be embraced and almost every time the two of them cuddled, Donghyuck would demand to be the little spoon but at moments like this, with Donghyuck’s arm under his head, fingers soothing the strands of hair that tickled his forehead and his sweet voice melting away in his ear — Mark loved him and he was glad he had someone who would hold him.

He stayed quiet, hoping he wouldn’t fall asleep so he could hear Donghyuck humming a song he didn’t recognize for a bit longer, he didn’t mind losing hours of sleep if it meant he could keep memories like this — Donghyuck was already refreshing his energy with just being there and it felt like the right time, Mark was ready to finally speak the feeling in words.

“Donghyuck,”

“Yes?” Donghyuck hummed, fingers caressing the bottom half of Mark’s face.

“I love you.”

It was but a whisper, only loud enough for him to hear, the motion of Donghyuck’s hand halting as soon as the words left his mouth. Mark wouldn’t blame him for being surprised, he wasn’t expecting the first time he ever told Donghyuck he loved him would be like this, with dark bags under his eyes and the noises of the students who had decided to have a night out coming from the opened window. Mark knew Donghyuck would have told him to not say anything if he had known beforehand, he’d probably get angry with him for saying those words when he had sleep dust in his eyes and his hair was tangled from moving around too much.

“What?” Donghyuck sounded surprised.

“I said I love you.” Mark repeated into his neck.

He felt Donghyuck’s arm moving underneath him as he tried to make Mark get back onto his pillow. Donghyuck looked as surprised as he had sounded and in all truth, Mark was stunned himself — not because he had finally said the words he had been holding onto for months, but because it seemed like Donghyuck didn’t expect to hear them at all, which was ironic to Mark, who was so in love with him by then, he would give him the world if he could.

“I-“ Donghyuck paused, sitting on the bed once again.

Mark grabbed the hand Donghyuck wasn’t using to hold himself up on the bed. “It’s okay, you don’t have to say it. I just needed to make sure you knew.”

Donghyuck bit his lip and laid back down when Mark pulled on his hand, this time, he wrapped his arms around Donghyuck’s body instead, letting him rest his forehead on his chest so he could hear how much love was flowing through his veins. This was enough for him, holding Donghyuck close, being able to rest his chin on his head was enough and it brought him so much peace that he was seconds from falling into a deep sleep.

“Lee Minhyung,” Donghyuck’s voice was small. “It’s the first time someone has ever told me they loved me.”

Mark hummed, tiredness slipping through his voice, he didn’t have enough energy to even open his eyes. He felt Donghyuck moving around, snaking his arms around his torso and trying to hold him as close as he possibly could

“I love you too.”

The fatigued vanished for the seconds after and Mark’s eyes shot open as he looked down at Donghyuck who was nipping on his lip from nerves. It was amazing just how fast Donghyuck could make Mark forget about everything else.

Mark just leaned down and pressed his lips against Donghyuck’s who seemed to hesitate for a few seconds because he had just woken up but Mark didn’t care. Donghyuck with his tired voice cracking and his lips breaking into yawns, he was beautiful all the same — Mark wanted and loved him all the same.

It was hard to think back at a time when Mark hadn’t experienced all of the memories he had made with Donghyuck in just a year and if anyone had told him when they first met in high school that they would up together, he probably wouldn’t have believed them — Mark had been the one trying to make Donghyuck forget about his first heartbreak back then, after all.

Mark was glad things had gone the way they did and if he had the chance he wouldn’t change any of it, he was glad Donghyuck had been the one to take so many of his firsts but he was even happier to know he had been the first to have loved Donghyuck the way he did, knowing Donghyuck loved him back the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey~~ 
> 
> I was listening to my sad songs the other day and I was just compelled to write something full of love (which is..not common for me since I love writing angst but I'm glad I wrote this) and understanding and this was what I got out of it.
> 
> If you find any typos or things that don't make much sense feel free to let me know, english isn't my first language and I'm always learning ~
> 
> I hope you enjoyed just some good romantic fluff about first times~
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> P.S. The sentence "Mark loved Donghyuck in moments like this" was inspired by @bluebot's 'when we get closer' summary, so credits to them!


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